


Fine

by bffimagine



Series: MakoHaru Domestic!AU [3]
Category: Free!
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff, Holidays, Kid Fic, M/M, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 15:47:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21700657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bffimagine/pseuds/bffimagine
Summary: To kick off the holiday season, Makoto has a teeny tiny health scare...(Or: the one where the hospital staff can't get over how stupidly cute the Nanase family is, ugh.)
Relationships: Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto
Series: MakoHaru Domestic!AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1464019
Comments: 6
Kudos: 74





	Fine

It started in the morning, when Mizuki tumbled into their bed with an excited screech.

“Otou-san! Tou-chan! It’s snowing!”

Their five-year-old son flopped dramatically on top of the covers and managed to knock the wind out of Makoto’s lungs with one of his knobbly knees.

“Oof!”

“Mizuki, be careful!” Haru admonished quietly, gathering all of Mizuki’s wayward limbs and tucking him under the covers with them.

“It’s alright, Haru-chan.”

Haru raised his eyebrow in concern at the slight catch in Makoto’s voice.

“I’m sorry Tou-chan!” Mizuki wailed, turning in Haruka’s hold to loop his arms around Makoto’s neck in apology.

“I’m fine, Mizu-chan.” Makoto ruffled Mizuki’s hair and pressed a light kiss to his forehead. “No need to worry.”

The downward slant of Haru’s eyebrows still hadn’t let up, but if it was indeed snowing, then their little family had to get up and ready for the day sooner rather than later. Makoto sat up a bit straighter, ignoring the residual twinge in his abdomen. He curled onto his right side and fondly watched Haru absently stroke Mizuki’s hair while their little boy’s eyelids began to droop. The excitement of the first snow was snuggled away against Haru’s chest.

“I’ll get breakfast started,” Makoto whispered over Mizuki’s head, brushing a kiss against his husband’s cheek. Even Haru seemed to have been lulled into a doze, and only inclined his head slightly to acknowledge Makoto’s announcement.

Makoto winced as soon as he turned away to slide out of their bed. Maybe Mizuki got him in the gut a little harder than he thought.

For most of the day, Makoto felt like he was being constantly run off his feet. As soon as he was able to usher Haru and Mizuki out of bed (and then, half an hour later, out of the tub), they hurriedly ate breakfast and piled into the car. First they dropped Mizuki off at school, both simultaneously kissing their boy’s cheeks, then Haru dropped him off at work, indulging in a moment to languidly lick into Makoto’s mouth before heading off to the pool. 

(Haru  _ did _ take an extra minute to watch Makoto’s flustered blush through the rearview mirror as his husband touched his lips with a smile.)

Once Makoto arrived at work, he was immediately bombarded by his frantic coworkers, all laden with holiday decorations and strings of lights.

“Oh, Mr. Nanase!” Mrs. Alfonso exclaimed, sounding much more relieved than Makoto felt his presence warranted. “You’re just in time! We need you to help us reach the top of the boards.”

Hence, Makoto found himself spending the scant few minutes left before class helping the other teachers decorate their classrooms in festive holiday colours, tinsel, and lights. He couldn’t help but feel the season’s cheer infuse him, which made it much easier to ignore the strange discomfort he felt in his lower belly.

By the time all of his kindergarten class had arrived, the school had been completely transformed into a holiday-themed wonderland. The kids squealed in delight and fawned over the various decorations.

“A reindeer!”

“This one looks like Rudolph!”

“Santa has so many presents!”

“...but this one is falling off his sleigh…”

“Where are all the elves?”

“The Hanukkah candles are all ready! I can’t wait to light them!”

“...Those are the Kwanzaa candles, Derek! The ones over  _ here _ are for Hanukkah.”

Makoto shook his head, sucked in a deep, fortifying breath, and proceeded to expend his entire day’s energy quota on wrangling the kids’ holiday excitement into a few creative and educational activities.

By the time Haru came by with Mizuki to pick him up, he was exhausted and the little pain in his side had become much harder to ignore.

“...Why are you walking like that, Tou-chan?”

Makoto hadn’t realised he was concentrating so hard on taking even steps until Mizuki called him out. He felt Haru’s gaze weigh on him.

“I think something I ate is disagreeing with me,” he said, waving off Mizuki’s wide, concerned eyes and smiling reassuringly. “I’m fine, Mizu-chan.”

Mizuki’s eyebrows pinched together in such a Haru-like way that made Makoto’s heart swell in affection. He swung Mizuki into his arms and felt his eyes burn at the abrupt tearing pain in his stomach. He closed his eyes against the tears searing behind his lids and rubbed his nose against Mizuki’s.

“Tou-chan is just fine, Mizu-chan.”

Mizuki giggled and clambered over Makoto’s shoulder to settle in on his back. Makoto laughed, breath coming just a tad shorter from the hot, throbbing ache coming from around his right hip, and secured Mizuki’s legs around his waist for the rest of the walk out to the car. He caught the meaningful look Haru shot him over his shoulder, but he did his best to shake off his husband’s concern.

When they got home, Haru immediately pushed Makoto into the sofa, ignoring all his protests.

“Haru-chan, I should prepare dinner, and--”

“Mizuki! Come sit with Tou-chan.”

Mizuki launched himself into Makoto’s arms without hesitation, and Makoto caught him readily. Unfortunately, one of Mizuki’s feet caught him in the side as he tried to settle into his lap, and Makoto couldn’t bite back the choked gasp that ripped out of him. Mizuki immediately crawled back, looking between Haru and Makoto with terrified eyes.

“Tou-chan?” he whispered, lower lip wobbling dangerously. The tears had already begun to spill over Makoto’s cheeks as he tried to drag in a ragged breath. He tried to muster a smile to allay Mizuki’s fears but a wave of nausea threatened to pull him under.

“We need to go to the hospital. Now.”

Haru’s clipped tone made Mizuki shrink back tentatively. Makoto swallowed around another roll of nausea in his gut. He reached his arm out to tuck Mizuki into his side.

“It’s okay, Mizu-chan,” he whispered, watching Mizuki’s horrified expression lighten a few shades. “Everything is going to be okay.”

Haru pressed his lips into a firm, displeased line. Makoto winced, then grinned at him sheepishly.

“There’s no need to scare him, Haru-chan.”

Haru’s scowl deepened.

“You’re white as a ghost, Makoto.” He pressed the back of his hand against Makoto’s cheek, then hissed and withdrew it as if it pained him.

“You’re also burning up. We need to get you to the hospital right now.”

Makoto grimaced at the sweat he could feel dotting his hairline and prickling at his neck. He suddenly felt dizzy.

“I think that’s a good idea, Haru-chan.”

Haru frowned. “Drop the -chan. I’m calling an ambulance.”

By the time the ambulance arrived, Makoto was shivering despite drenching his shirt in sweat, and he was having a hard time deciding between holding his breath to compress the pain and breathing to… well, breathe.

Mizuki was curled under his arm, sobbing. Haruka rubbed circles over their little boy’s back, Mizuki could probably feel his anxiety in the way his hands were shaking.

“Mr. Nanase?”

Haru immediately stood as the paramedics entered their living room.

“Yes, I--I’m Haruka Nanase.”

“Is this Makoto?” the first paramedic asked, gesturing toward the sofa. His partner was already at Makoto’s side, murmuring something to him quietly and putting a blood pressure cuff on his arm.

Haru nodded. “Yes, that’s Makoto. He needs to get to the hospital now, please!”

“Okay, sir, we’re going to get Makoto into the ambulance, alright? Is this your son?”

“Ye-yes, Mizuki is our son.”

The paramedic and his partner exchanged a glance.

“I’m… I’m sorry, sir, but unfortunately we cannot bring a child in the ambulance, as we don’t have the appropriate car seat for him. It wouldn’t be safe.”

“That’s… that’s fine. We can meet you at the hospital.”

“Alright, sir. Do you know any of Makoto’s medical information?”

“I--he’s healthy. He got his wisdom teeth out when we were in high school, but nothing else. He doesn’t take any medications, he isn’t allergic to anything as far as I know, and… he… wears glasses?”

The paramedic nodded as he scribbled down some notes. “Thank you, sir. Can you tell me when all this started?”

Haru touched his tongue to the roof of his mouth. “I… um… this morning? I think? He seemed uncomfortable but didn’t say anything. I think it’s been getting--I think it’s gotten worse. Right before I called you, our son just kind of jumped into his lap and then he started to be in a lot of pain and look really sick.”

“His BP’s soft and he’s febrile,” the second paramedic called from Makoto’s side. The first paramedic frowned.

“Okay, let’s get him loaded up. Check his glucose and start an IV. We’re going to need to start some saline.”

“Wait, what? What are you--?”

The first paramedic turned back to Haruka and Mizuki. Mizuki was pressing his tear-stained face into Haruka’s thighs, his whole body shaking with the occasional hiccuping sob.

“Sir, your husband is quite sick. We are going to need to get some fluid into him as soon as possible and get him to the hospital right now. We will meet you at the Hearthstone Hospital.”

“I--wait, please, let me just--”

“Sir, we need to get to the hospital  _ now _ .”

Haruka swept Mizuki into his arms and followed the paramedics out the door.

“Alright Mizuki, we’re going to follow Tou-chan to the hospital, okay?”

Mizuki sniffled and smushed his face into Haru’s neck.

“Did I make Tou-chan sick?” he mumbled in a tiny, watery voice.

Haru’s heart cracked.

“No, Mizu-chan. You didn’t make Tou-chan sick.”

“But… but what if…”

Haruka gently squished Mizuki’s cheeks between his thumb and forefinger and pressed their foreheads together. His son’s wide, sad eyes peered up at him from the shade of his wet eyelashes.

“Tou-chan is… the doctors are going to take good care of him. We’ve gotta go help them, okay? We’ll help them make him better.”

Mizuki sniffed and nodded, forehead knocking against Haruka’s.

“He’s going to be so happy to see you, Mizu-chan. Hospitals can be scary sometimes, but you’re going to help him not be scared, right? You’ll help him be brave like you.”

Mizuki nodded again, wiping more snot into Haruka’s collarbone.

“Mizu-chan, let’s get you into the car and we’ll go take care of Tou-chan, right?”

“Okay, Otou-san.”

By the time they arrived at the hospital (even with Mizuki doing his best to help, bundling up a five-year-old still took a lot more time than Haruka had the patience for, but he knew he’d feel awful if Mizuki was cold on the way, not to mention how upset  _ Makoto _ would be if he found out that Haruka had done anything less than completely insulate their child from the elements), Makoto had already been taken into emergency surgery.

“Are you here for Mr. Nanase?”

Haruka shifted Mizuki a little higher in his arms, using his chin to move Mizuki’s little mitten, dangling on its string from the cuff of his sleeve, away from his face.

“Yes, I’m his husband. What’s happening?”

The doctor reached out a hand that Haruka shook, no lack of trepidation on his face. He felt Mizuki cling a little tighter around his neck, turning away from the stranger.

“My name is Doctor Luckert. Your husband has just been brought into the operating room for a terrible case of appendicitis.”

Haruka felt the blood rush away from his face so quickly he went lightheaded.

“Is he--?”

The doctor smiled and some of the sensation to Haruka’s face was restored. “Once the surgeons are done with him, he should be fine.”

“When can we see him?”

“Usually it takes our patients a little while to wake up after surgery, so once he’s up someone will come get you.”

The doctor motioned for Haruka to take a seat, which he sank into gratefully. Mizuki briefly turned to peer at the doctor from under the edge of his toque, most of his face still pressed in the crook of his father’s neck.

“Mr. Nanase, your husband’s appendix ruptured sometime before he got to us. That’s why he got so sick so fast.” Haru nodded dumbly, still not quite processing anything beyond the fact that Makoto was in surgery and that hopefully he’d be fine.

“He’s probably going to be here a few days to recover, but otherwise he should be back on his feet sooner than you know it.”

“Thank you.”

The doctor smiled and patted him on the shoulder before he walked away. Haru gently patted the back of Mizuki’s head.

“Hear that, Mizu-chan? Tou-chan is going to be just fine.”

It was another two hours or so before one of the nurses ushered them into the recovery room. Mizuki had fallen asleep on Haruka’s shoulder, so he carefully avoided jostling him as he followed the nurse toward Makoto.

His favourite shade of emerald green blinked up at him hazily from the hospital bed.

“Hi, Haru-chan.”

Haruka cleared his throat against the tears pressing on the back of his tongue.

“Drop the -chan, stupid Makoto… you scared us so much.”

Makoto’s mouth slanted down into a slow, dopey frown. “I’m sorry, Haru. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Haru shifted Mizuki’s weight slightly to free his hands and clasped Makoto’s in both of his own.

“You should’ve said something,” Haru sniffed.

Makoto smiled guilelessly. “I’m sorry.”

“Have you been unwell since this morning?”

Makoto’s blinks gradually lengthened. “I… I thought it was nothing. I figured it would pass.”

“I thought… I thought we might lose you.”

Makoto’s eyes were still cloudy from discomfort and whatever remaining medications in his system, but they were sharply focused on the film of tears gathering over Haru’s lower lashes.

“Hey, Haru-chan, it’s okay. I’m okay, I promise. I’m right here, I won’t leave you.”

His fingers squeezed Haru’s hand and he cupped Haru’s cheek with the other hand, tugging slightly at his intravenous line. Mizuki made a little snuffling sound into Haruka’s shoulder as he slept.

“You must be tired, Haru. You should probably go home and get some rest.”

Haru’s face dropped into a subtle scowl that had Makoto instantly trying to sit up to placate him, but his breath hitched on a grimace. Haru pressed him back down to the weird plastic-y hospital mattress with a soft ‘tsk’.

“We’re not going to leave you, either.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Nanase?” a new nurse poked her head through the curtain. Makoto smiled up at her beatifically; Haru looked impassive. “There’s a bed ready for you on the surgical ward now.”

Makoto shifted over a bit in the bed, face scrunched slightly as he pulled at his sutures. Haru wordlessly settled Mizuki next to him and they both tucked the blanket around their little one, completely oblivious to the way the nurse was trying to be as unobtrusive as possible while simultaneously melting into a puddle of mush at the tender family moment.

(In the morning, the surgeon on call for the weekend came in at 7AM for rounds. He opened the door to find the Nanase family impossibly squished together on the narrow hospital bed, both men somehow cocooning their son between them. His patient was lying on his left side with his husband’s hand splayed protectively over the dressing over his incision.

The surgeon quietly slipped back out of the room. There was no way he’d get a look at that incision at this point, so he figured he’d try back later. He couldn’t help but smile at the two adult men scrunched into the bed’s side-rails to make space for the little boy who was basically starfished in their embrace.)

**Author's Note:**

> Poor Mako-chan. I figured he'd do something like this...
> 
> Of course, Makoto ends up admitted to the hospital for a few days after his surgery to recover and get a few days of IV antibiotics. Haru does have to get back to some of his regular responsibilities, so he has to call in an emergency babysitter for Mizuki... Nagisa texts him relentlessly, Rin cries so much over the phone that Sousuke has to essentially translate for him, Rei sends a "get well soon!" card in the mail that arrives from Japan a week and a half after Makoto is discharged, and the Tachibanas send strings of emails asking about Makoto's recovery and thanking Haru for taking such good care of him.
> 
> Haru puts up with it because of his beloved dork, but his introversion is making him wither with all the additional social contact. He's so grateful when Makoto is able to field all the messages again and he can just comb his fingers through Makoto's hair as he rests his head in his lap. Makoto squints at the phone screen through the haze of fatigue but insists that he's recovered enough to answer all the texts and emails. The phone narrowly misses his nose when it tumbles out of his limp hand once he falls asleep. Haru just shakes his head slightly and leans down to kiss Makoto's cheek without breaking the rhythm of his hand through Makoto's hair.


End file.
